Westside Family Health Center Open House This Monday, October 29

Thursday, 25 Oct 2012, 1:36:00 AM

Mitch James

Mirror Archives

The Westside Family Health Center of Santa Monica will show off its new Mobile Medical Unit on Monday night.

Westside Family Health Center (WFHC) will host a community Open House on Monday, Oct. 29 to celebrate the first year of operations of the organization's 36-foot Mobile Medical Unit (MMU), which provides comprehensive health services.

"I can't help but smile when I see how far we have come in just one year. I remember when the MMU was just a chassis,'' said Debra A. Farmer, WFHC's President/CEO.

Farmer said WFHC was seeing proof positive that the MMU is making an impact on the health of the community, particularly in populations who lack adequate access to health care including high school students, the Farsi-speaking community at Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, La Tijera United Methodist Church neighborhood and mental health clients at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services.

Since November 2011 through September 2012, WFHC has seen more than 300 patients at the MMU. Currently, WFHC makes eight MMU visits monthly to six sites including Health Services Academy in Los Angeles and Olympic High School in Santa Monica.

WFHC is working with the Los Angeles Unified School District to provide four additional area high schools MMU health services.

With her eye-grabbing teal and white wrap and distinctive WFHC logo, the MMU cannot be missed as she travels throughout our service region providing comprehensive health services to those in need.

The purchase of the MMU was made possible through U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funding as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

"Early on we saw the importance of providing a mobile safety net for our community,'' Farmer said. "Our community has responded to our outreach, illustrating a gap in healthcare. We are so fortunate to have funding partners who share our vision to bring affordable health care to all. We only expect the need to grow.''

The Open House will be held on Monday, Oct. 29 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Westside Family Health Center, 1711 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90405.

Tours of the MMU will be available and delicious refreshments will be served, including a birthday cake.

RSVP to Lisa Esparza at 310.450.4773 ext. 253 or lesparza@wfhcenter.org

Westside Family Health Center, founded in 1974, is a non-profit community health center providing a wide range of low-cost health care services. WFHC serves more than 9,300 low-income and uninsured women, men and children, regardless of one’s ability to pay. To learn more about WFHC, please visit www.wfhcenter.org.